Showing posts with label Fast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fast. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2012

Make My Own Laundry Detergent

I love to keep busy and when I found out that I was stuck at home because I sent all of the cards off to work with my husband this morning I felt a little stuck. My to-do list was centered outside of the home. But, it turned into a really nice homebody kind of day!

I made detergent...





I adapted a simple recipe after making Mama Duggars recipe a few times. By adapted I mean that I have pushed the bill making it lazier and lazier each time. I am just waiting for this recipe to fail somehow because of my laziness. But no...as laidback as I have gotten about it the stuff just keeps impressing me with its cleaning abilities and fresh scent. I use the same amount of it as I would any other detergent. I fill it to the line on the cap.

Stock Pot
6 c water
1/4 of a bar of Fels Naptha grated as small as your grater will grate.  (Walmart)
1/2 c of borax (Walmart)
1/2 c Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (I have seen it at some Walmarts...but I have to go to Ace Hardware for mine locally. Fortunately that box has lasted for over a year of making this recipe)
About 3 large empty detergent bottles
Warm Tap Water to fill up the bottles after you have added your detergent concentrate.

Put the water in the pot, turn on the heat medium/high. Add the grated soap. Stir until the soap is dissolved. Let it come almost to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the borax and the washing soda to the pot and stir until it is mixed.

I then add it to my bottles using a glass measuring cup.

Top off the bottles with warm water straight from the tap. Replace the cap and give it a little shake to mix. Ready to use!

Some tips I have learned along the way...

1) I keep my bar of Fels Naptha out of the bag and package...the more dried out the get the easier it is to grate.

2) Saving money is great...but we use this because it is the best detergent I have found on my husbands CRAZY dirty work clothes. It doesn't get them back to perfect, but its the best they have come out.

3) I don't let it cure. And my detergent can be lumpy. But, the lumps have never given me an issue. But, *whines* the curing took over a day.

4) Give the detergent a little shake before you add it to your washer.

5) Some people use a bucket. I found it messy and the ladel kept slipping to the bottom of the bucket. Lots of dripping. I really love having my old detergent bottles to refill with this recipe. It makes ALOT.

6) We have the largest washer and at full capacity I still just use a cap full like I would regular detergent. Works fine.

7) We love the smell of this stuff! Without anything added. Felz Naptha is very pleasant and clean smelling. Not flowery, manly, musky, springy...just nice and clean.

8) If you are looking for a laundry booster for tougher than average load...just adding some Borax is a GREAT idea.



Ninja Kitty approves of the detergent 100%. She has been asleep on this sheet in the breeze of the window all afternoon.


Then I painted! I am loving reteaching my hands how to paint! I like to find word art I love on Pinterest and copying it. Its a great way to retrain and resteady my hand! Naptime Fun!






Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Mommy Mani aka Lightning Fast Polish Change


While I was waiting for my hair color to set I did my nails and tried out a trick I recently pinned on Pinterest


This Revlon "Lavender Pastelle" with a streak of Wet 'N Wilds "On A Trip" on top.

Heres the tip: Dip your hands in ice water afterward for a couple minutes and they dry in a snap! It worked like a ok. The top layer was still a little gummy afterward. I needed a touch after rinsing my hair.

I think I will stick with my lightning fast nail change:

It takes me forever to use the cottonball/nail polish remover method. It just smears it and I have trash left over. I had tried the nail polish remover in a tub with the foam inside. Better...but after a few uses the foam starts getting messy (I like bright and deep colors). So one time I had acrylic nails (they never last long for me) and I wanted them off so I bought a tub of artificial nail remover with these little plastic bristles inside. It is like this one.

Then I am set to polish.

I follow up with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip. I love this stuff...my polish stays on thru a few of my most grueling nail days. I use it on fingers and toes.



Warning! The first time I dropped this it shattered. I have dropped many nail polish bottles and this is the first time one broke. I was shocked! I ran out and bought another bottle right away. I am just more careful now.

(as I type my children are sticking one of those strange stretchy quarter machine toys into my up-do)

Before finding this stuff I went without polish quite often. Its hard for a mom to carve out half an hour of her day for her nails very often. There are just so many other things to do with a kid-free free half hour (Pinterest, Facebook, Target). But I have found a way to do my nails in five minutes. I like to do it outside because of the fumes.




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